Kaleidoscope
by JashinisticQueen0410
Summary: Kaleidoscopes are curious little things. It makes us want to see things in a different angle, wondering if it will change anything. But can one bead change the final picture? AU and OC Self-insert. Updates are extremely randomized.
1. Prologue

**Title: Kaleidoscope**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would be showering in molten gold in a diamond encrusted shower stall while my chihuahua eats in a doggie bowl made from the skull caps of my adversaries.

**Warning:** AU, canon deviation, language, violence, gen, sometimes ideas from my head that reject canon ideas, random character-centric...

**Author's Note:** My comrades say I'm insane, but my mother insisted she had me checked. Still...

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

What happens when a person studies for an exam too much after receiving multiple vaccination shots the day before?

Well, they usually blackout due to working so hard and not knowing their limits. Or they sleep because they do know their limits and they also they're too lazy to continue studying.

I'm one of the latter ones.

* * *

I could hear my phone's alarm ringing, echoing inside the confines of my room. I always imagined that it was yelling at me to wake up and get through another cycle of wake-up, eat, survive, and sleep. Usually it's loud and obnoxious, but for some reason, it seemed... muted. Muffled. Like cotton puffs were blocking my ears and the only thing I could register was the toned-down version of my alarm clock.

Still, the phone itself was a damn nuisance to my sleep.

I tried grasping around, looking for it to turn it off or smash it against the wall when I realized something I shouldn't have felt.

Nothing.

I couldn't feel the smooth feeling of the table I was supposedly sleeping on, nor the book I planned on reading for my exams tomorrow, now currently drooling on.

I tried again, an underlying sense of panic forming in my gut.

Still nothing.

I opened my eyes, or at least, it seemed like I opened my eyes. I knew in my mind that I opened my eyes, but what I was seeing eradicated my thoughts and replaced it with primal instinct.

I saw nothing.

I felt nothing.

Everywhere I turned, nothing was there.

I was alone, inside the cold embrace of nothingness.

* * *

After what seemed to be minutes of nothingness, I felt a warm sensation touching my forehead. I felt relief flood through my system as I regained my five senses again. It was rejuvenating as I breathe in deeply the smell of the book I was resting my head on as I could, and exhale to release all the unwarranted tension that accumulated on my shoulders. That's what made me freeze again.

I couldn't smell my book. It smelled like rose incense, like the rose bushes in my grandmother's garden.

Books aren't supposed to smell like rose incense. They were supposed to smell like ink, paper, cardboard, and the tears of children who couldn't understand them. I liked the smell of books; it made me sadistically happy to know that I could somehow understand them and not some snot-nosed brat that believed he could do everything. I loved rubbing it in their faces, and the cries of the little hellions were like an angel's choir to my ears.

I hate the smell of roses, scratch that, I **hated** any kind of flowers with a passion. Those useless, stupid, little shi-

Wait, I'm losing sight of what's important.

Stupid me.

I coughed, trying to breathe out the putrid smell of roses out of my respiratory system, and that's when I felt a warm hand rubbing my back carefully.

I opened my eyes, widening at the sight of dark eyes boring into mine. I glanced down, seeing the eyes belonged to someone with a rather good-looking but childish face. I kept looking down and saw that this person had one hand under my arms while the other hand was rubbing my back.

I felt myself froze up again when I thought of the worst possible scenario: I was abducted and taken as a hostage by some criminal mastermind bent on changing the universe.

This was like one of those James Bond movies my old man watches, but I'm the damsel and distress, I guess.

Huh. That's kinda shitty.

But, after reasoning with myself, I realized as to why I would be a hostage. I was never in my life important to be taken as a hostage for anything, and as depressing as that sounds, it was true. And if I were a hostage, why would my subjugator be helping me breath? Shouldn't he be torturing me to conform to his demands? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of making me plead for help and assisting them in taking over the universe? And when have bad guys looked this cute?

Bah, fuck the semantics.

I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, letting out an ear-piercing screech. I heard my captor wince in reciprocation, at the same time shaking off my surprise attack. I felt his hands moving closer to my mouth, obviously trying to shut me up. He obviously didn't know who he was dealing with.

Heh. The giant turd.

When I felt the fingers already three inches away from my mouth, I opened my eyes and lunged my head forward, focusing on his fingers. I bared my imaginary fangs and bit his fingers as hard as I can, relishing the screams of pain from his mouth.

I released his fingers, making him think that the worst was finally over, when I managed to lift my foot upwards and kick his face. I heard his teeth gnash and clench from the force, making me even happier.

As he was nursing his fingers and his jaw, I squirmed in his arms. He unconsciously released me, which allowed me to run as far away as I can.

Or more accurately, I **tried** to run.

As soon as my feet touched the floor, I dived forward, believing that my left foot will move forward so I could start my escape. Instead, my feet collapsed from the sudden weight and I felt my lips making out with the tatami mat soon afterwards.

I couldn't believe it. I tried wiggling my arms and legs and felt the bare skin of my limbs swiping across the floor. I lifted my head and craned it to see if I had any wounds that my subjugator might have given me while I was unconscious. It would be easy for anyone with an adequate knowledge of the human body and its strengths and weaknesses to just slash a certain tendon to incapacitate your victim for a certain length of time. I know, I tried.

As I looked for any indication that my skin was marred by a bloody wound or anything just as bad, I finally noticed that my leg was small. And short. Way too short for someone my height. And kinda stubby for a girl my age. I looked at my arm, and saw the same stubbiness from my leg.

As I was panicking with the questions 'How the fuck did my body regress so much or am I just hallucinating?' and 'What kind of drug did Bastard inject me with? Heroine? Meth? Some kind of unholy mixture of marijuana and hallucinogens?', I faintly noticed I was being picked up again by my subjugator, whom I aptly nicknamed 'Bastard' since I didn't know who he was yet, and brought me to his arms and hoisted me over his shoulder, like I was a mere sack of potatoes.

"No! Pu' me dow'!" 'Is he trying to pour salt on my wounded pride?' I thought as I gained the motivation to simultaneously scream and kick blindly at him, since I could only see his back, and hopefully scar that face of his. If I only had a lighter, I could make Freddy Krueger's face look like the Mona Lisa when compared to what I'm imagining for Bastard. All those villains and miscreants can go fuck themselves with a mace if they want, because I acquiesced to no one, be they man or god.

I felt my kicks weren't doing any good anymore, since he must have saw through my viciousness and kept blocking my feet with his hand. I felt him put both his hands on my waist, lifting me up away from his shoulders so he could sit down properly on the couch, and placed me on his lap. I still tried inflicting bodily damage with my hands, registering the fact that Bastard didn't look that old, but was still bigger than me.

He mussed up my hair as he playfully glared at me, deflecting my small fists with one of his obscenely large hands. "Oi, stop that Rei-chan, or you're gonna get hurt." He cooed at me, making me wish I did have a chainsaw so I can give him a mafia-styled smack down in the name of all things cheesy and holy-

What? _Rei-chan_?!

I gaped at him, betting that I looked like a fish out of water. He continued, pinching my cheeks to stop my mouth from opening and closing. "Now there's a good girl. You're such a cute baby when you're not trying to hurt me." He grinned cheekily. I was horrified.

I regressed into a baby.

A small, helpless, unimportant brat.

Aw... hell no...

I'm going through puberty again?

Noticing my sudden domestication, he adjusted me properly on his lap, fussing over me like I'm some sort of feline. "Whoa, whoa. What's wrong, Rei-chan? Does your tummy hurt?" He rubbed my tummy carefully. I gave no response. "Are you hungry?" No comment. I'm always hungry.

"Aww man! Mom's gonna haunt me in my sleep!" He whined, rubbing his head roughly, trying to think rationally. I stared at him listlessly all the while, the coherent thoughts in my head vanishing one by one. I barely noticed the sound of someone knocking on the door, Bastard carrying me with him to open the door to see who his visitor was, since I could only focus on his face as one thought repeated in my head.

'Who am I?'

* * *

As Bastard looked at his visitor, his face split into a grin, looking relieved at the intrusion.

"Itachi! Thank god you're here! I need your help!" My ears perked up at the name, recognizing it immediately. I turned my head slowly, eyes widening when I saw a kid version of Uchiha Itachi with no traces of the Sharingan on both eye sockets, reading something to himself. "Look Rei-chan, it's Itachi!"

'Oh, shit... am I in the Naruto-verse?'

He looked at us, raised his hand to give a two-fingered salute. "Hello." He greeted Bastard, smiling slightly, before looking at me. He blinked dubiously at me. I blinked back stupidly.

'... No way... this is my favorite anime... I can't be this lucky... Can I?'

"Oh, what's wrong with Reina?" Itachi reached over to me, pinching my cheek softly. Reina? What's a Reina? Was that even a name?

Wait, was that MY name?

'What the fuck... is 'Reina' supposed to mean? It sounds weird…' I thought, sneering at the mere thought of that word being my name. I may or may have not registered the fact that he touched my cheek. Uchiha Itachi touched my cheek.

"I think she's sick." Bastard explained, walking out so he was outside with Itachi. I couldn't see it because it hurt to keep twisting my head, but I could tell Itachi was smirking at Bastard. "What a good brother you are to your cute sister." He teased, giving a small Uchiha smirk.

I saw my brother getting riled up, before teasing Itachi with his supposed superiority. I watched them annoy each other until I belatedly questioned one thing: Who is Brother Bastard anyway?

* * *

Since he knew Itachi, I guess that would imply that he's from Konoha. Since he looks young, he must be the same age as Itachi as well, if not older by a couple of years. He also had black messy hair, black eyes, a broad-ish nose, and a good-looking face. I can say without a doubt in my supposed pre-mature mind that Brother Bastard's real name is NOT Might Guy.

No way in hell would I be related to someone like that spandex-loving troglodyte. I'd sooner commit self-disembowelment than admit anything. I saw Guy's pictures as a kid, and only when hell serves ice pops will he look as good as this. Besides, Guy should be around 15 years old by now. Itachi and Brother Bastard only looked like a pair of cute kids.

I mentally reviewed all the possible characters and realized that Brother Bastard looked exactly like one person in canon...

* * *

As I was having a panic attack in my mind, I focused on going back to Itachi and Brother Bastard's conversation. They seemed to have stopped annoying each other, and were only conversing with one another. They didn't realize the baby in their midst was having an internal crisis with her identity. Insensitive asses.

"What happened to your jaw? It's puffy and red." Itachi asked, eyeing the swollen jaw I kicked earlier. Brother Bastard seemed to winced at the memory.

"Reina here thought it would be funny to see someone in pain so she kicked me in the chin and bit my fingers to test her theory." Brother Bastard replied, lightly shaking me. Itachi chuckled in response, patting my head softly. "Only you will make up a lie about getting hurt by a baby girl. When will you ever grow up?"

"She's a heathen, Itachi! She's out to get me!" My brother whined dramatically, but I knew he was faking it. I giggled at his expense, not minding the fact he called me a heathen. I've been called worst, believe me.

"Shisui, stop fooling around. We have a mission today and I'd like to get it over with as quickly as possible." Itachi reprimanded my brother, before regarding me again. "Just ask someone else to look after her while we're gone. I'm pretty sure Mother won't mind watching over her." I kept nodding, giggling at the look of realization on Brother Bastard's face but my mind was racing.

Brother Bastard's real name is Shisui.

There's only one guy named Shisui in the whole Naruto-verse, and he happens to be best friends with Itachi.

If going with the canon's facts, then his full name is Uchiha Shisui.

If Itachi's telling the truth, then I'm his sister.

Ergo, I'm an Uchiha.

Nice.

* * *

**Hello, duckies! I'm back, with the major felony of authors: a self-insert fic~**

**I know what you're thinking, 'This Reina chick's taking this way too calmly...'**

**I know. A different perspective, I guess, since most of these fics start with denial and shock.**

**I'm more of a go-with-the-flow kind of girl.**

**If it was me, I'll be like: "Cool. Imma be a ninja and kick all them guys' gonads to win. With girls, let's see them bitches try scratching me with their manicured talons. COME AND FUCKIN' HAVE A GO THEN! (Screeches a war cry)"**

**Anyhoo, review on your way out~**


	2. Chapter I

**Title: Kaleidoscope**

**Chapter I: Growing Up (Again)**

* * *

_**When life gives you lemons, slice it and lick it. Those yellow shits are delicious.**_

* * *

Waking up in a new body is weird. Then again, it is better than waking up inside a jail cell, finding out that you were caught doing dastardly deeds with your friends.

Supposedly, my new name is Uchiha Reina. I was born on the 10th of April, and I live with my older brother, Shisui, who's around eight years older than me. Our parents died before the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage, making us orphans from the start. The only people that I encountered that is not my brother is Itachi, the assigned warden/guardian/hobo/bum that checks in on us, and some lady named Mikoto who always watches over me with her young son whenever my brother had to leave.

My whole life revolves around just four people. How pathetic.

Apart from me being in this world, Shisui having a sister, it all seemed pretty canon to me. However, that must mean that Uchiha Obito is still alive and he's masquerading around in an orange lollipop-themed mask as Tobi/Uchiha Madara and aiming to destroy the world. Apart from that, Konoha's been invaded, what, two times in the entirety of the series. And the Fourth Shinobi World War... And Konoha was supposed to be the village with the highest military force...

Ah well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

For the first two years, my life was stuck in a repetitive cycle. It's not like I had a choice about that, since I was a baby and babies often slept in the day and stayed wide awake at night to keep others conscious like the little demons they are. In the morning, I would wake up and find my brother and that hobo-guardian person having breakfast. Since he graduated from the Academy earlier than most, I don't get to see him often, making every moment I spent with him special. Most days, he would be gone before lunch after morning training. If that was the case, I would just spend my own day either familiarizing myself with the Japanese language or trying to concentrate on developing my chakra. Even without the Sharingan, I realized I was rather adept with moulding chakra, to the point where I could even form the basic shapes when I'm bored.

The languages part, however, seemed to evade my intellectual grasp at first, but after climbing on Hobo-Guardian's lap with a picture book so he can point out the words and the picture next to it, I learned the basic Japanese language with little difficulty. Besides, babies weren't expected to understand those things. They were usually interested with the pretty colors and shapes. The writing part can happen when I'll have the right dexterity for it and I'll just fill up my vocabulary tank as I go through my current life, like a normal person.

I've noticed another regular occurrence in my mundane baby era.

Generally, he would take me to babysitter Mikoto when I was still a literal baby. After 'waking up', so to speak, in this universe, he seemed to stop relying on Mikoto to take care of me and let Hobo-Guardian do his job.

Why?

I'm not entirely sure, but I'm guessing it's the fact that I had my first blood battle a few days after I turned one. In my defence, it was against a raccoon that managed to climb up into my bedroom and tried to eat me for its lunch. By the time my dear ole brother got to me, I gave the dick turd an ass-whooping of epic baby proportions.

Yup. I'm a proud BAMF in this world.

Itachi always visits our house to train with Shisui, despite having his own genin team to train with. It's at those times when I'm allowed (by Itachi) to toddle outside the house, instead of being trapped inside like a prissy princess. It's always a fun experience seeing Shisui's face turn red at my innate teamwork with Itachi to overpower his command with a one-two punch of Itachi's "She's a big girl now" and my puppy-dog pout. Don't get me wrong; I **like** Shisui, and judging on how he already considers me the bane of his existence, must mean that takes good care of me.

I just loved seeing the Uchiha Compound with my own two eyes and feet, alone. It was one thing to watch it on a screen; it was another to actually go through it in person.

It was through my misadventures in the infamous compound where I met someone who will become very important in the future.

* * *

Every time I watch Shisui and Itachi train over the days, I always wondered how ninjas still remain friends even after being beaten up by a friend. In my past life, one punch can cost a life's worth of friendships. Here, these people draw blood and gain concussions in less than two minutes, but you would still see them hanging out in a BBQ place afterwards like a bunch of masochistic twits.

Usually, I'm the only one observing them battle against each other, since I always stalk after them. After their spar, they would go and eat the bentos Mikoto-san brought on the porch, with me stealing from both of theirs, even though Mikoto-san made a tinier version for me. It wasn't my fault I always eat it when they're still fighting. However, I found out that I wasn't the only one obsessed with the elder males.

I saw him trying to look inconspicuous while obviously awestruck at the fight before him, his wide eyes glazing over. I had to rub my eyes roughly, so to make sure I wasn't hallucinating from the heat. I decided to lift myself up, quietly making my way over the intruder, my insides clenching tightly at the future I knew of and how this person would be an important part of said future.

Uchiha Sasuke was here.

I tapped his shoulder, his eyes focusing on me. I belatedly realized that this wasn't the Sasuke I read and watched over the years. The Sasuke I knew was a brooding emo brat who whined about everything. The Sasuke in front of me was only an innocent child, who had an impressionable mind.

This was Uchibi Sasuke, age three.

Still, Uchibi or not, his gaze didn't let up. Steeling myself, I offered a hand and used my free hand to point at my initial seat. I could feel the gaze of our brothers on us, becoming interested in our interaction.

"Wanna share seats? Rei's seat has a better view."

I saw his eyes widen at my statement, tugging at my heartstrings. I should have been prepared for it, though. Uchihas, by nature, aren't exactly nurturers. They were more of inclined to the 'tough love' or 'get over it' option, and a prime example of that would be their clan leader, Fugaku, who was Itachi and Sasuke's father. I met him once, and all I remembered was his discerning stare that betrayed no emotions whatsoever. He could have said he saw a pig fly by, and I would have taken him seriously.

Sasuke shifted his eyes from my face to my outstretched hand and back again, trying to see the deception in my actions. I saw him chew the inside of his mouth, obviously contemplating on the pros and cons.

I still haven't lowered my offered hand. I gave him a sliver of a smile, hoping that it would help ease the tension.

I heard something shuffle and Itachi chuckling at the background, seemingly amused at the scene. I was about to turn my head to give them a glare, when I felt something warm ghosting over my outstretched hand. I turned my head to see Sasuke holding my hand, a faint blush on his face as he gave me a shy smile.

How cute...

He pulled me towards my old seat, mumbling something I couldn't hear.

"You said something?"

He looked over his shoulder, before facing our destination again. "I'm Sasuke. What's your name?"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Reina." I answered, crossing my legs as soon as he stopped in our new seat. He nodded at my answer before plopping down next to me, fixing his gaze at our older brothers. I followed his example and hoped that Shisui would teach me those moves one day. It seems being a BAMF was hereditary.

It was only after when the sparring ended did Sasuke regard me again.

"Thank you for sharing your seat with me." I looked at him, seeing that his eyes were lowered down. He motioned over to the now empty mini bento box. "And for the food." I gave him a shrug.

"Welcome. It's from Itachi-nii's mama, after all." I said, stretching languidly so he wouldn't notice my hesitation. I couldn't tell him the truth, after all. I couldn't tell him that I knew what he could be, and what the most probable future was. If I told anyone I wasn't initially from this universe and that I knew what was going to happen in the future, I would either be sent to a hospital for the mentally disturbed or Shimura Danzō would get his claws on me and forcefully extract information out of me.

Neither prospect seemed pleasant for my already damaged sanity.

His seemed to accept my answer, nodding his head repeatedly. I gave him my version of the notorious Uchiha smirk, making his eyes furrow in worry.

"And besides, Sasuke looked like total creeper hidden in bushes like that. I thought you are a pervert about to attack Aniue." Honorifics weren't something foreign to me, being a fan of the Japanese and Korean culture, but I learned to add an appropriate honorific to anyone's name, except for Shisui. I got into the habit of calling him 'Aniue', which meant big brother in the most formal way, instead of the commonplace 'Shisui-nii'. Besides, he seemed to like it better.

I saw my brother choke on his spit, trying to muffle his snickers. Itachi's smirk became a smile, keeping his evident amusement at bay. Sasuke... sputtered for a few seconds, before looking petulantly away from me, muttering under his breath that he did not look suspicious and that he was not a pervert, his face the color of a tomato.

Wow, Sasuke reacted much better than I thought. Usually, he would glare and tell people to shut up. Interacting with Uchibi Sasuke is way better than the canon Uchiha Sasuke.

Maybe it was my natural mean side, but seeing Sasuke looking away to hide his blush from me was just too funny. I knew I had to start teasing him like this.

"Oh~?" I tackled him and pushed him down with an evil cackle. Sasuke let out a girly scream when I landed on top of him and held his arms at his sides. I heard Shisui laughing his ass off as I continued hugging him with my face centimetres away from his red one. I licked my lips as he began sweating bullets.

"Why so shy, Sasu-chan~?"

... Can I get sued for chibi molestation?

Probably not, since I'm also a kid.

"ITACHI-NII, SAVE ME FROM THE MONSTER!"

"Sorry Sasuke. You're on your own."

"NOOOO!"

And with Itachi's almost-but-not-really-a-permission permission, I bent over and gave him a big wet kiss.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Rei won't, Sasu-chan~"

"Stop – _smooch_ – kissing – _smooch_ – me!"

"Neveeeer!"

* * *

And that summarizes my first, and definitely not my last, encounter with dear Sasuke. Poor boy was traumatized for a whole month, to the point he didn't want to be left alone with little me. He still refused to acknowledge that part of our history together, and keeps denying it with a repressed passion usually found with Might Guy and Rock Lee.

Hey, I never said my Japanese wasn't broken. I was a child! I didn't have great control over my speaking ability. Thinking ability, I was and is obviously advanced, compared to my fellow chibis in this generation. Speaking ability-wise, I roughly had the same level as theirs. Possibly even less.

Damn my underdeveloped sense of speaking.

I only realized later in my baby life that my brother was something akin to what my old universe would call an emancipated minor, despite his young age. From what the assigned warden told me, the main reason why the village accepted his request for emancipation was his talent as a ninja. However, that emancipation did not reach to me, since I was only a baby. Thus, Hobo-Guardian was there to make sure I was being taken care of.

Hmph. Good luck to them. I was a horrible baby that was both perverse and perverted at the same time.

Not that they seemed to mind. In fact, they seemed to find it amusing. Especially when Sasuke's face pales at the sight of me, taking a few steps back every time. He runs in the opposite direction when he sees me licking my lips, screaming bloody murder.

I knew I was in extremely good hands.

Anyone who can tolerate a ninja baby like me was A-OK in my bingo book.

* * *

**Hello, duckies! **

**To those who have read the first UNEDITED prologue, I apologize for how it was presented. I have recently edited it when this site allowed me to log-in again... And also my mistake in misspelling 'Kaleidoscope' in the actual title. Blame it on the folly of sleep deprivation.**

**I'm just grasping for straws here, since there are very few facts about Shisui and his age. Only thing official about his age was that he was older than Itachi, and he often used it as a reference when they fight.**

**Anyhoo, review on your way out~**


	3. Chapter II

**Title: Kaleidoscope**

**Chapter II: Just Living the Uchihan Life**

* * *

**_Frog legs taste just like chicken. Seriously._**

* * *

Being part of the Uchiha clan definitely had its downsides. For one thing, you were expected to be the best in everything you do, to the point of being considered a genius in normal people standards. I always wondered if that extended to pooping and peeing.

And as far as I knew, everything they had me doing had some sort of subliminal undertone to it. Hobo-Guardian, who I now know as Uchiha Daiki, seemed to be intent in teaching me seemingly random games and exercises that were fun, but deceptively complicated. The clapping games he always played with me made use of basic hand seals that, if I was a normal child, would have accepted as the actual game and the like. However, since I knew what those seals meant, I paid close attention in mastering the proper finger placement and the correct stance.

Another was that you were expected to be a ninja.

It all started when I was due to start school.

Seriously, even in my second life, school continues to haunt my very existence. Curse the academe. Forget the Kamui; that thing transcends fucking universes!

Shisui insisted that it was my choice whether or not I wanted to go to the Academy, but there was an underlying tension whenever we talked about it with Daiki. He argued that it was for the good of the Uchiha clan if I enrolled in the Academy, to uphold the clan's pride and whatnot. Shisui fired back that it was better for me to think of my wants and needs over the clan's. Their argument ended with a stalemate and my enrolment status became a sensitive topic in the house.

I could tell that Daiki was very indifferent of me being a biological female. It was obvious by how he took care of me whenever Shisui was gone, how gender-neutral his methods were. It was a very good thing that he never forced me to wear a dress and or a skirt, unlike the other little girls I saw whenever I walked around outside the compound. The girliest thing he made me wear was a dark blue blouse with a frocked collar and tan pants, and that was for some squinty-eyed geriatric Uchihan crone's birthday, which I betted my past lifesavings was going to be his last. I never minded Daiki's choices since I always preferred the three quarter length pants and shorts over skirts anyway, and he liked the darker and much more monotonous colors, dark blues and blacks and greys, that went quite nicely with my features and colouring.

The first time I saw myself in a mirror was when I was four years old. I graduated from being a determined crawler who tried to escape my house the same number of times as there are spikes on the Fourth Hokage's hairstyle to be the most frightening and heart-attack-inducing daredevil toddler in the Uchiha clan. I'd climb up to all the top shelves with no actual footrests, chase after Sasuke on a regular basis, escape from Shisui's clutches on a _really_ good day (hey, he wasn't called Shisui of the Body Flicker for nothing), and stalk after Itachi and Shisui whenever they were going to train together.

I stared at my reflection for a good five minutes, just enough time for Shisui to find me and pick me up. One thing's for sure, I didn't look like Shisui that much, but everyone around me said that I resembled my deceased mother more than I did my father. I had pale skin, distant-looking onyx eyes, and long, untamed, jet-black hair which became my most distinctive feature amongst the rest of the female Uchihas since they, just like the all the Hyūga clan members, seemed to have mastered the revered and noble art of hair maintenance.

But damn, the Uchiha genes' are super strong...

I am _adorable_.

"Reina," Daiki said one morning when I was helping him make breakfast. Shisui was out on a mission, so I was next in line for kitchen duty. Okay, it was more like him making breakfast and me stuffing my face with the leftovers. To be direct, I rather liked being in the kitchen. In my past life, I was a proficient cook, having the winning record in my family of not burning anything. "I'm clearing my schedule for next week, so we can go down to the Academy to fill in your enrolment."

I gave him a sharp look, grimacing slightly when he didn't show any signs of emotion. "What do you mean?" I asked even though I already knew what he meant. Being part of the battle-oriented Uchiha clan meant that it was almost obligatory for me to be a ninja. Hell, it's what every child in this universe wants to do.

He slowly blinked his eyes as he gave me an unemotional glance. "Please tell me that you're not reverting back to your version of childhood idiocy and whimsy."

I puffed out my cheeks. "It was one time."

"I had to replant the whole garden when you made that poison smoke bomb, brat."

"Not my fault you got caught, fool."

He gave a quiet snort at my word choice, deciding that it was much more dignified to throw a slice of sausage at a child instead of entering a verbal argument with said child. Without even thinking about it, I snatched the flying piece of pork with my mouth, chewing it rather aggressively when I caught it. I could feel him smirking at me, but I was too distracted with the savoury meat to ask him if there was a problem.

"Your brother might not want to admit it, but you're ready to start training to be a ninja." He said during the actual meal itself, as if he was talking about the weather. I, on the other hand, blinked owlishly at his statement, choosing to play dumb.

"I am?" I repeated before looking back down at my bowl, favouring to taking casual stabs at a piece of steamed bitter gourd with a chopstick. He raised a lone eyebrow at my violent antics, but didn't question it.

"Yes."

I gave him an appraising look. "Nope. Don't believe you. Can I have more saury?"

"Believe me, even I'm shocked that a brat like you is actually ready to be a ninja."

"Oi!" I protested, albeit half-heartedly. Deep inside, I knew this day was coming. I admit I wasn't as careful as I would have liked when I slowly started training by myself and looking through the library when I was alone. Sure, I had the mental assets of a teenager and almost the same potential talent as my older brother, but I was still, technically, a child. I had the attention span of one. "I'll have you know that I already know the hand seals to the Great Fireball Technique!"

"Oh, I know." He said, giving me a pleased smirk.

'I fell for that one,' I thought with a cringe. I tried to ignore him by chewing on the meat more aggressively.

"That's why the clan head thinks you're ready. If you're _lucky_, Fugaku-sama will teach you how to actually use it himself." He said, blowing at his rice to cool it down. He looked deceptively calm about all this, but I can imagine him laughing at the idea of me being trained by the strict clan head. "Your brother mastered it years before he became a genin, so it is actually expected from you to, at least, do the same."

Speaking of Shisui…

"I don't think we should go behind Aniue's back when Aniue isn't even here." I belatedly realized in the later stages of my childhood life that I actually developed some kind of hero-worship for Shisui, similar to what Sasuke had for Itachi. It may have been due to the fact that I had never met my birth parents, so Shisui had been my only family. It didn't help the fact that he was always busy with training and missions that I tended fight tooth and nail for his attention when he came back. He didn't seem to find it weird. In fact, he always looked smug whenever I acted like that. "And Aniue doesn't want me to be a ninja, so I don't wan-"

He cut me off with a single word, the underlying threat as obvious as the sky was blue and that Naras were generally lazy. "Omiai."

Screw that 'Aniue' shit, I am not going to some marriage interview with some half-baked noble brat. "When will we go again to that Academy of my future dreams and aspirations, Daiki-niisama?"

* * *

_Come alone to the forest near the compound._

Despite the blaring signs of danger and treachery, I merely shrugged when I read the note on my bed after a rather animated breakfast with my brother the morning after he returned from a mission, with him retelling a rather Shisui-enhanced tale that involved a ninja from Kirigakure, Itachi with a tambourine, and a horde of rabid squirrels.

I saw something move against the foliage, trying to sneak towards my position in the middle of the forest next to the compound. Normally, it would be a rabbit looking for things to eat, but this moving prey seemed bigger and less agile than the usual little beasties. My hands inched over to the kunai holster on my right thigh, but I didn't grab for the handle just in case I was wrong.

I heard the sound of something wooden flying through the air, so I ducked instinctively, lifting my eyes to see where it came from. To my surprise, two toy kunai came from behind me, soaring through the air until they hit a tree trunk, stopping their path. I turned my gaze to where it came from, sinisterly gleeful to find a pair of feet under the bushes.

Ha… I was right…

Prepare to admit defeat, Ducky.

I seized my one and only kunai from the holster before launching it at a few centimetres away from his left foot, making him jump upwards in shock, finally rendering him visible. I gathered chakra on the balls of my feet to help me leap towards him, readying myself for a collision. I saw him closing his eyes, lifting his hands to shield his upper body.

I smiled to myself. Big mistake.

I lifted my balled-up right hand, proceeding to thump him on the top of his head. Afterwards, I used my free hand in synch with the momentum I was going at him with to propel my body over him, somersaulting once through the air before landing on my butt into the overgrowth.

Okay, THAT I did not plan.

Uchiha I may be, trained gymnast with environmental awareness I was not.

Hearing the groan from my "opponent" made me forget my own pain. Hoisting myself up, I trudged away from the thrice-damned bush and went over to the little dark-haired half-pint, who was feeling for bumps on his head. Plopping down next to him with all the grace of a bipedal milkfish, I grasped for his neck, bringing his head to my eye level.

Biting back a smile when I heard him whimper in pain, I tried looking for any bruises.

"Reina?"

"Hm?"

"Where'd you get that kunai?"

"Filched it off my brother while he was napping." I muttered distractedly as I searched for a bump. Can't have the youngest son of the clan's head going home sporting a bump on his head from yours truly, after all. Old Man Fugaku might actually find a way to punish me for this latest deviance. Feeling something small come closer to said kunai, I glanced down and saw a thieving hand.

"Hey! Don't touch that, Sasuke." I reached out to pinch the back of his hand when he tried to grab it and he recoiled, pouting slightly. Ever since I met Sasuke, he always gravitated towards me whenever the adults were busy with who-knows-what and who-knows-who. Mikoto would watch over us with an unruffled smile on her face when I played in his house but whenever we were outside, no one ever bothered with us. It was through those mere moments that I managed to condition Sasuke's psyche little by little. "Besides, I can't play ninja with you right now."

He puffed out his cheeks and leaned away from me moodily, trying to make me feel bad. "Aww... Why not?"

"Because," I paused, my mouth coming closer to his ear as I whispered as quietly as I possibly can, "... I'm trying to learn a jutsu I saw Aniue do."

His eyes widened at the idea, looking extremely adorable. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe." I replied noncommittally, temporarily forgetting who I was talking to. "I need to start practicing more since I'm going to the Academy this year."

"You're going to the Academy this year?" He parroted back, obviously blindsided by my sudden revelation. I could feel him moving away from me in shock. Or was it anger?

In that moment, I couldn't really tell.

Heaving a sigh internally, I gave him a bright smile. "Yup! Isn't that great, Sasu-chan? I'll become a great ninja soon, like Aniue and Itachi-niisan!"

"...You'll always be busy now..." Good lord of all things illegal and creamy, he was going to throw a tantrum. But it wasn't as bad as when Shisui found out the night he arrived. He didn't seem sad; it was more melancholic as we stared at each other. All he did was pet my head for a while as we sat down on my bed until I fell asleep on him, the last thing I heard that night was his gentle but stern order of 'don't let your guard down and keep safe, Rei-chan.'

"Of course not! I'll still play with you afterwards. After all, I still need help with my shurikenjutsu." I smirked evilly when I remembered the first time I ordered Daiki to give me a shuriken. Despite the fact that Shisui had been very worried the times he caught me "playing" with his ninja weapons, Daiki never hesitated handing over his. The older Uchiha even taught me the basics of handling weapons, making me a makeshift target out of an old pillow and setting it up in my room so I can practice when I'm bored.

Hell, the man even left knives around me when I was still toddling around the kitchen!

Feeling relieved that I didn't find anything on his head that could lead back to me, I stood up. Patting said head considerably gently, I motioned for him to stand up as well, partially dragging him up with my strength.

"Come on, slowpoke. I need to find someone."

"Who?"

"No one in particular. I just need a practice dummy to aim a shuriken on." I answered him honestly as I dragged him back to the compound. He gave a thoughtful nod, following me mutely as we ran around the compound, trying to 'recruit' my latest victim with promises of 'fun'. "And an actual shuriken to practice with."

"Itachi-nii's somewhere here!" Sasuke blurted out loud, an hour into our recruitment.

Oh?

"Itachi-niisan's back already? I thought only Aniue came back."

Sasuke nodded enthusiastically, his wide eyes shining at the thought of his older brother. "Uh huh! And he's the best with shurikenjutsu!"

"Really?" Trying to stop myself from cackling like a deranged scientist after finding out that my plan might come into fruition, I gave him a cheery smile as he tugged at my arm to make me run faster. "Let's go find him then."

When we finally found Itachi after almost a day of searching and asking around the compound, we finally found him in one of woodier areas near Sasuke's house, practicing his own shurikenjutsu alone. He took one look at my closed-eye-and-smiling expression and Sasuke's childish excitement, before warily supplying me with a shuriken and helping me aim it at one of the targets.

When I hit close to the centre, I tried again with another one of his shurikens, feeling thrilled. He gave me a small nod of encouragement, a slight smile on his mouth.

Shisui came by to see his friend a few hours later, only to find me still practicing with the shurikens, Sasuke taking a nap a few meters away with his toy kunai in his fist, and Itachi observing me exercise as he made sure that I didn't accidentally maim anything or anyone.

* * *

A week had passed since anything interesting happened again.

"Good morning, Fugaku-sama." I greeted, bowing slightly at Sasuke's father as I heard him approach me on the porch of my house. I moved my hand to my back, hopefully hiding my book from his slightly curious eyes. I've seen him only a handful of times due to his position as head of both the Uchiha clan and Konoha Military Police Force, and it usually happened whenever I was with Shisui. Still, I knew my place and how to present myself, even if my etiquette and manners weren't my more lauded skills. My language skills have gotten better, thanks to all those scrolls and books I stashed in my room.

"How's your training with the Great Fireball Technique?" Fugaku asked me, after a minute of silence. I stared at him with my cocked to the side, my free hand going to the bandages where I nearly burned my fingers when I forgot to breathe properly after my last attempt. My brother was torn between worrying over me and laughing when I set the bushes on fire.

After begrudgingly accepting that I was going to the Academy in a few months time, Shisui took it upon himself to be the one who was going to teach me the Great Fireball Technique during his resting period. In that week, he taught me how to improve the speed of my hand seals and even demonstrated the actual jutsu once. I instantly became mesmerized at the blazing stream of flames that illuminated our surroundings, making me want to do it on my own.

"It's… going well." I admitted, not too sure where this was going. "Aniue believes that I might be able to perform it correctly after a few more days of training." It was true. Although I've had mishaps with it (the tatami mat in our living room didn't survive when I accidentally performed it indoors), I could feel that I was steadily improving. Despite my age, I wasn't making that many mistakes as before, and I managed to control my chakra flow so that I can avoid it backfiring on me.

"Hm." He considered my words for a while, before continuing his way to the building where the police force stayed most of the time. I went back to my book on poisonous mushrooms and was about to be fully immersed in it when I heard him stop, and talk to me over his shoulder.

"When you get to the Academy, make the Uchiha clan proud."

I blinked at him, before bowing again, even if he wasn't facing my direction. "Yes, sir." I saw him nod once before finally disappearing, leaving me confused. It was already a given that I do well in the Academy, and I will do well, considering everything else. But everyone in the clan kept reminding me that I should do really well in school, since my brother was amazing and that he graduated at the top of his class, so I should be able to do all that too. And I understand that aspect, since Shisui is a genius and was able to become a jōnin at a young age, but I never understood the need for the elders of the clan to almost hustle me into attending the Academy at a certain age.

It was only when I actually got to the Academy did I realize why they were so anxious for me to attend at that specific year.

And, when I saw that reason, I knew my life was going to be busier than usual.

* * *

**Hello, Tumtums!**

**Sorry for the huge-ass delay. Just came back from my family's trip to the US of A. Couldn't bring my laptop, so... yeah...**

**Warning: There are times that a chapter could be very serious (in other words, NO ONE-LINERS) but it all just depends on how I feel like writing. Some may be funny, some... not as much. It really depends.**

**You guys may have realized it, but I changed Mitsuki to Mitsuru to Reina. Want to know why? Google Orochimaru's son and you'll get my reason. I chose 'Reina' because it has a nice alternate meaning when written in kanji. 'Rei' usually means 'bell', but also 'zero' while 'na' means 'seven'. In the Japanese culture, a circle is considered lucky and is said to bring in good fortune, I think. So, since a circle also represents the number zero, it can be justified as such. So, in a twisted way, it can mean "seven fortunes". Or just "seven bells". Plus, it sounds nice.**

**If you guys really want to see what her hair is like, imagine Tayuya's hair, but black.**

**It might be a while before I update again, but it won't be a year and five months long. Hehe.**

**Anyhoo, review on your way out~**


	4. Chapter III

**Title: Kaleidoscope**

**Chapter III**

* * *

_**Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Ra-ta-ta.**_

* * *

On the day of the entrance ceremony, I was quiet as I ate the nattō and the scrambled egg, a bowl of steamed rice in my hand as I chewed thoughtfully. Daiki wasn't around since he had a mission that required him to leave the village for a while, so Shisui was the only other person in our house, practically inhaling the grilled fish and miso soup in his set, shovelling down rice in-between breaks. I could feel him looking at me as he ate, but he didn't say anything throughout breakfast.

He knew I woke up earlier than usual, since I would have asked him to wrap bandages on my calves when he was around, being the early riser he is. The moment he saw me standing barefooted in the hallway, in grey shorts and a sleeveless indigo Uchiha shirt with a hood, he did a double take and stared at me before looking at the closest wall clock. I blushed considerably as I puffed out my cheeks in displeasure when he gave me a teasing grin, but I threw my favorite plush toy at his face when he was about to open his mouth and quickly ran towards the kitchen.

"I'm your brother," he called out after me while shaking the oversized dragon doll in the air in mock indignation. "It's my job to embarrass you, you know!"

Other than that, it was a quiet morning. We finished our meal in silence and he told me to get cleaned up again while he did the dishes. By the time I finished, I found him already outside our house, waiting for me. He scanned me with a critical eye, deeming me ready by placing a hand at back of my head, going under my hair to make it fly away, before letting it land on his open palm again, smiling all the while.

We passed by the Uchiha Senbei, already approaching the main entrance of the compound. Uruchi-san waved at us to come closer, telling us that she'll deliver some senbei to our house later as a way of congratulating me on my first day of school. Shisui called me a spoiled brat, I kicked his shins, and Teyaki-san had to stop us from fighting by hitting the both of us with a rolled-up newspaper, waving us away with his other hand. I believed that Shisui would go his own way when we got closer to one of the stations, but he told me that he'll walk with me to the Academy himself, just so I wouldn't get lost.

The Academy was one of those places I've only been to once, and that was when I got my enrolment forms. Despite being known as one of the terrifying hellions raised in the clan, I rarely ventured outside the compound other than the woods around it whenever Sasuke wanted to play, and maybe that in itself was a bad thing, but it's not like I went out of my way to antagonize others, especially those I didn't care for. I wasn't a very biddable person in both my old life and my new life, so I often did things without permission and without caring for what others thought of it. I never bothered with such minutiae unless absolutely necessary, or when I felt like it, which rarely happened since I found it too much of a hassle.

The only times I have ever left the compound for an extended period of time was during the times Shisui would go on errands from the clan, usually to stock up on ninja tools and weapons from Nekobaa's shop, and sometimes to get invaluable information from the Granny Cat herself. He would bring me with him, just so I could get to see new things and get used to the abandoned city of Sora-ku and the ramshackle façade the store itself had, and the constant damp weather the city itself was shackled with. Because of that, I was thankful for the Land of Fire's mostly mild climate, but I also enjoyed the abrupt weather changes it experienced, like when it snowed and or when the heat escalated. Since I was still too young and inexperienced, my brother came up with a game that was actually a timed race across the labyrinth chasing after Nekobaa's fastest kitten, Kudo, and going back to the main store after I found him. It was enough to keep me entertained while he completed his errands, and at the same time helping in training.

* * *

Shisui the Jōnin proved to be a kind but brutal sensei, even to his own sister. Or maybe, _especially_ to his own sister. He never yelled at me when I made a mistake with my taijutsu or when I made the wrong hand seal, but he also made it clear that he wasn't going to let me slack off. A humane slave driver, if there ever is one.

"Aniue, aren't you turning thirteen this year?" I asked him when we took a break from training in our living room, lying on my stomach as I kept my arm stretched towards him. The Great Fireball Technique was hard to control, so it took a while to perfect it. True to what I told Fugaku-jii, I did manage to do it after a few days, but actually mastering the jutsu was another thing completely.

"What about it?" He replied absentmindedly, focusing on rewrapping the bandages on my fingers. I knew I looked ridiculous, covered in soot and my sleeves were charred from being unable to control the flames.

"And Aniue's a jōnin already?"

He flopped on his stomach next to me when he finished. "That's right."

"But didn't Tatsuo graduate from the Academy when he was twelve?" I asked, remembering one of many 'cousins' we had that already had a stick so far up his ass I was surprised he didn't choke on the goddamn branch already (and I use the term 'cousin' rather loosely when it came to the Uchiha clan, since I don't exactly know how we're related to each other. Sasuke considers me a cousin, but that's mainly because of how close Shisui and Itachi are with each other. Half-Pint nearly called me 'Rei-nee', but I think he remembered my kiss assault on his cheeks when we first met.) "And isn't Itachi-niisan nine years old right now?"

"Itachi's **turning** nine, you mean." He corrected me, tapping me on the nose six times. "And you turned six."

"I know, I know. I'm not that dumb. Don't believe everything that Daiki-baka says." I growled, batting away his finger with my fist, glaring at him when he laughed. "So, does that mean that Aniue's going to teach people only a year younger than Aniue soon?"

"Well…" For a second, he looked conflicted. "Yes, I guess I will."

"… Is it hard?" I asked after a while, looking at him fully. There must have been some prejudice against him, especially with how young he was compared to the other jōnins in the village. Could be considered as viable intimidations on their side, even with the years of experience those other jōnins had. And being an Uchiha certainly doesn't make it any easier.

He sighed, looking slightly older than he had a few seconds ago. "At times. There will always be a gap, no matter what. But it makes me happy to see that I could teach people new things." He suddenly placed his hand at the back of my head and made my hair fly upwards, surprising me. "Like you and Itachi."

"You're teaching Itachi-niisan too?" This was news to me. I only thought they trained together every time their schedules matched up. "With what?" I asked, wanting to fulfil my childish curiosity. He didn't answer me for a while, choosing to let the birds fill in the silence. It seemed like he was debating whether to tell me or not, considering all the possible outcomes of telling me. He was good at keeping secrets from others, but I liked to believe it didn't extend to me. Finally, he turned and gave me a level gaze.

"Better you heard it from me, I guess." He shook his hair, a trait he had when he was feeling stressed. "Itachi awakened his Sharingan during his last mission."

Oh. I remember some of the clan members talking about it a few times when I passed by the police headquarters to get reprimanded for something they thought I was about to do. Scolding me in advance, I guess. It was a mission with his genin team to guard the Fire Daimyō during his annual visit to Konoha. "Is that why Itachi-niisan's been avoiding going to his house?"

"You noticed that, huh?" He shook his head at me, a wry smile on his mouth. "Should've guessed you would realize it sooner or later."

"It's hard to ignore since Ducky's been whining about it." I said, crossing my arms as I remembered Sasuke's temper tantrum a few days ago. I managed to stop it from escalating by teaching him some of the easier hand seals for the Great Fireball Technique. I considered the idea of teaching him the seals for Naruto's Sexy Technique instead, but I could feel that that idea will backfire on me someday. Besides, I don't even know how to do a simple Transformation Technique yet, let alone the sexier version of it. I'll let Naruto have that great honour of unveiling it to the world. If I was going down someday, I will not be known as the girl who made the Sexy Technique.

He gave me a sly look. "Are you sure it wasn't because he's using our house as a hiding place?"

"… that too." I acquiesced. He rarely made his presence known, so it was as if he wasn't even there. But since he was still a child and not an ANBU genius yet, he still made mistakes. Like when he started practicing on cooking a sunny-side up egg to thank Shisui. I found him in our kitchen one morning when I suddenly needed to go pee, me still heavy-lidded and clutching my stuffed panther to my chest, staring blearily at the multitude of fried eggs on the table and him putting soy sauce carefully on one of them. I've never seen anyone with such a strong dedication on perfecting the art of cooking an egg, so I yawned as silently as I can and went back to continue on with my journey, muttering sleepily about how he better replace all those cartons he used up. "So Aniue's been helping him with his Sharingan since Aniue also has the Sharingan?"

It was common knowledge in the clan that Shisui awakened his Sharingan really early, but only a select few knew that he already awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. I was only a year old and still wearing a cute lamb onesie when the incident happened, but I remembered that day very well, especially with how I slowly regained some of the memories that happened before I, figuratively, woke up in this universe. I heard Shisui coming back home in the middle of the night after a battle, and when he walked towards my crib, he looked really tired. He didn't say anything, but he lifted me and just hugged me all throughout the night. I didn't even realize that something was different until he shifted his hold on me, accidentally letting me see his reflection in the mirror. I could only stare at four-point pinwheel design in his blood red eyes before he adjusted his hold on me again, making me face him. I looked up at him and saw that that he deactivated it already, but the haunted look was still in his eyes and his smile was strained. All I did was hug him tighter, and I didn't let up my grasp until I fell asleep. When he handed me a red dragon plush from my room the following morning, the haunted look was mostly gone, replaced with his usually good-natured disposition. After watching him move about in the dining room with a gaze that didn't belong to a normal toddler, I returned to chewing on the dragon's tail, finding it much more delicious than the caramel-coloured bowl of shit he was about to give me.

He nodded in response, moving so that he was on his back and staring at the ceiling, his arms serving as a makeshift pillow for his head. "Itachi's still a genin, and I still go through training exercises since it hasn't been that long since I've become a jōnin, Rei-chan. So, it's my job to make sure he learns at his own pace." He was honest when he said that, I could tell. He explained most things to me so I wouldn't misunderstand, even if it was about missions, but he'd divert the conversation whenever I pried too much, muttering something about me being too young and precocious.

I didn't realize that rolled off his back and was looking at me with mirth, and I was subconsciously pouting in displeasure.

"Hah? What are you pouting about now?"He suddenly looked wily. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Itachi?"

I hissed at him instead of answering, grabbing the bandage roll on the floor and silently threatened to hurt him with it.

"… that was the least threatening hiss I've ever heard!" Shisui laughed softly as he dodged the roll I threw, trying to keep his tone as even as possible in order to keep me quiet. "Calm down," he said, putting me into a headlock when I tried to escape to find something else to throw at his head in irritation. "Tell you what, I'll teach you how to do the Body Flicker Technique without using smoke one day."

I stilled. Shisui of the Body Flicker was going to teach me the jutsu that earned him that infamous moniker? I may be a child, but I knew an opportunity when I see one. "When?"

"When you're ready, of course." He winked at me, pinching my cheeks gently with a playful smile on his face.

"Promise?" I said, ignoring the grin he shot at me. Instead, I chose to retaliate by reaching up to pinch my brother's cheeks with both my hands, making him look me in the eye so that he knew that I meant business.

"I promise."

* * *

"Hoo boy… it seems like only yesterday you were the one attending the Academy, Shisui." The man, who used to be Shisui's teacher said, smiling at my brother before looking at me. "Now, you're bringing your little sister to school."

"Yeah, well…" He patted my head roughly as he drifted off. "Just be careful around her, Madoka-sensei. She's a little beast_: _she actually bites. Got the habit from Pops, I guess."

I fought the urge to actually bite him since that would only prove his point. Instead, I just glared at him, promising all types of pain during our training later. Or, at least, putting one of the ducklings I was raising with Sasuke in his bed.

When they started exchanging banal conversation about schedules and events, I looked around at my fellow chibis and their family members. I didn't recognize anyone at all during the Third Hokage's welcoming speech, which I tuned out in favour of scanning any familiar faces. From my viewpoint, they had forgettable faces, and they faded quickly into the background. However, I couldn't see the faces of the children in front, so there was a semblance of anticipation in the unknown.

I drifted away from them after a while, but I was sure that Shisui, if not both of them, were keeping an eye on me even when they didn't look like it. I would be lying if I said that I didn't notice the glances directed at me during the speech, and even while we were walking to the Academy, but it was to be expected. The Uchiha clan protected their children zealously, and to find a female one walking aimlessly in a crowd without an older Uchiha visibly around was surprising, even to the civilians. And civilians usually didn't notice such clan intricacies on a normal basis, so it meant that Uchihas took their 'my progeny, stay away heathen, hiss hiss' mentality to a whole new level.

I noticed a boy standing near the front of the crowd, standing near a dark haired shinobi in a yukata. The way the kid dressed was normal, except for the bandages around his forehead. I was about to go over to him and see if there was a reason for the bandages, or if it was only something to make him feel more like a ninja (I've seen enough of that from some of the kids I passed by), when I heard Shisui whistle, signalling me to come back to his side. I was greeted with a pat to the head by Shisui and a small smile from Madoka-sensei. He started explaining to me the other rules of the Academy, which were similar to the rules of my kindergarten in my ex-life: no unauthorized fighting, study hard, play nice with others, and listen to the teachers.

After lecturing me on where the comfort rooms could be found in each of the floors, I saw the bandaged boy move closer to the entrance of the building, his back still facing me. I was a child, so I think that's a good enough excuse to be extremely curious. "Madoka-sensei, who's that?"

"Hm?" He turned his head, looking at whom I was pointing at. "Oh, that's Neji-kun. He'll be in your class. Make friends with him, you hear me?"

"Neji?" My brother asked for me when I nodded mutely as a reply, too busy with the realization rockets firing in my head. He ignored the way my fist clenched at his sleeve, and he knew that I knew something I shouldn't have known. "That's Hyūga Hizashi's kid?"

"Like I said, he's starting this year too. Some kind of genius, if the rumours are anything to go by." He gave Shisui a wry grin, some of the ninja-like slyness leaking out from his well-crafted 'Sensei' mode. I remembered that he was still a ninja, and that teaching was probably a means for him to pass time. And to earn extra money. "Interesting batch of kiddies this year, don't you agree?"

Shisui sighed, too long-suffering for it to be a new topic. "Not you too."

Now the actions of those hustling harridans made sense. They weren't worried about my lack of willing socialization with others, or wasting my 'potential' with my antics, or my penchant for hell-raising. I initially thought that they finally came to the conclusion that me being near other children from different clans would do me some good and not lessen my progression rate, and instead, increase my ease of sociability with strangers. No, they were more concerned in the Uchiha clan one-upping the Hyūga clan. In their age-riddled point of view, I was their playing piece against Hyūga Neji, prodigy extraordinaire.

And I was expected to win.

Oh, fuck me raw.

* * *

**Heyo.**

**Here's another way of interpreting Reina's name: The kanji I used for her name is the one for the number zero (**零**). The number zero is empty by itself, but represents infinite possibility. It is the void from which all other things begin.**

**The kanji I used for the 'na' in her name is (**奈**), and it is a phonetic character. **

**Ta-dah, the explanation I love best! This was actually the original explanation for Reina's name, but I forgot to add it in the previous chapter.**

**I went into detail in the age because I've always felt it was an important aspect in any story. So, Reina is 4 years younger than Itachi, 8 years younger than Shisui, and a year older than Sasuke. **

**Most of the information here about Shisui and Itachi is actually canon, based on Itachi Shinden: Book of Dark Night. Except for Shisui's age, damn…**

**Man, I love Mitsuki (Orochimaru's brat). I don't know why... **

**To ****JimmyHall24:**** I agree. There should be more, but not too overpowered. Tsunade comes to mind, but it isn't really explored as much as her ex-teammates.**

**Review on your way out~**


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